lewis



WM. LEWIS AND WM. H. LEWIS, oE lNEW YORK, N. r.

BOX FOR SUPPLYING BUSINESS-CARDS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 10,255, dated November 22, 1853.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that we, WILLIAM LEWIS and WILLIAM H. LEWIS, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented, made, and applied to use a new and useful Means for Supplying Business or Similar Cards; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawing, making part of this specification, wherein- Figure 1, is a sect-ional plan. Fig. 2, is a longitudinal section and F ig.l 3, is a cross section of our apparatus.

The like marks of reference designate the same parts.

The object of our invention is to furnish a means whereby any party can take from a case o-ne card at a time, thereby instores, hotels or similar places, those desirous of th name and address of parties in a given busi-` ness, can take one card and no more from a box at each pull of a handle attached to a slide; thus avoiding what is often done, of a Whole pack or a great number of cards being taken by one person out of mischief or malice.

' a, are the sides; Z), the front; and c, the top of a box, which may be of any desired shape or size, and of any material; we propose in some cases to make this of metal and in an ornamental form.

d, is the backA Which is shown movable and secured by a spring, by which the cards are placed within the box, this however may be fitted as most co-nvenient.

e, e, are slides taking the cross piece 7c, of the slide f, which slide has a motion of about one and a half inches as seen in Fig. 1. The slide f, passes through the front b, terminating with a handle 3. The slide f, is drawn back by an india rubber or other contractile spring, in a recess on the under side of the slide, one end being attached to the slide, the other to a cross piece 4L, at the back.

1, is a lip or edge of hard metal attached to the back of the cross piece 7c, raised above the surface thereof about the thickness of one card.

z', is a gate or slide near the front b, kept down by a spring 5, or competent Weight,

the lower edge of this is beveled as shown.

A narrow slit 6, the width of the inside of the box is formed in the front b, above theY slide f.

g, Fig. 2, represents the cards Within the box which are kept onto the slide f, by means of a Weight 71,.

The operation is thata person desire-us ofA i a card pulls the handle 3, (the box may be made to show its use, by having painted or otherwise formed on the front Take a card and `Pull,) and as he pulls the handle and slide f, the lip l, takes one card and forces it under the gate z', lifting the same sufficiently by its inclined lower edge, pulling the card out through the mouth 6, about half way, and o-n letting vgo of the handle the spring 2, brings the slide back ready for taking another card; the card that was protruded being pulled out by the 1ingers. The gate i, keeps all but the under card back land prevents clogging andthe weight la, keeps the cards down with the same force until all are removed by the successive pulls on the slide.

t will be evident that in place of the Weight la, a spring may be used, and that the apparatus may be fitted so that the cards stand up on their edges instead of lying horizontal, the mouth and slide in that case 1 being also vertical.

We are aware that various apparat-us has been used for supplying cards to be printed but we are not aware of the slide' f, lip Vl,

and gate z', having been used for the purpose and as specied.

Therefore we claim- The lip 1, on the slide f, combined with the gate z' to draw out one card at a time as specified, described and shown.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our signatures this twentyV first day ofV January one thousand eight hundred and fifty three.l

WILLM. LFNVIS. W. H. LEWIS.

Witnesses: e l

GEO. W. REID,

' LEMUEL W. SERRELL. 

